The present invention relates to composite label structures and, more particularly, to a composite label which is useful as a shipping label and which includes a plurality of individual product labels.
Various items are shipped to retailers in cartons which are large enough to hold a number of such items. Not only does the shipping carton have to carry a label indicating its destination, but the individual items in the carton must be labeled as to price by the retailer after the carton is opened. A label system which facilitates both of these functions is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,110,502, issued Aug. 29, 1978, to Baer. Baer uses a computer carrier strip having a perforated feed which is slit longitudinally. A label price tag strip having a gummed back is adhered to the computer strip. The strips are perforated to form tear lines, and cutouts are made to form a composite strip form carrying T-shaped label-price tag sheets connected together by perforated tear lines only at the tops and bottoms of the labels. The price tag portions are separated by the cutouts and connected to the labels only by perforated tear or fold lines superimposed along the slits adjacent the computer strip. A computer prints both the shipping label and the price tags.
When a carton is to be shipped, the label for that carton is peeled from the backing strip and carries with it the price tag portion and the portion of the backing strip under the price tag portion. The price tag portion, with its backing strip portion, is folded back under the central portion of the label, leaving adhesive upper and lower portions which are pressed against the carton. This keeps the price tags clean and in good condition. When the carton reaches its destination and is opened, the user tears the label, with the price tags and backing strip portion from the carton, and removes the gummed price tags as needed.
Although providing a significant improvement, the Baer label construction was not readily usable with sheet fed non-impact printers, such as laser printers. To meet the need for a sheet fed laser printer label construction, the composite label arrangement of FIG. 1, was developed, as discussed in greater detail below. Although useful in such a system, this arrangement required significant removal of scrap material after printing and prior to application of a label to a carton.
It is seen, therefore, that there is a need for an improved label construction which requires a minimum of additional operations subsequent to printing.